The two entries below illustrate one of the worst if not the worst hurricane in modern times. Hurricane Andrew of 1992. I haven't investigated the possiblity of "Andrew" being fueled by a North Atlantic Oscillation but considering there is an 'aire flow' of the two left images of the satellite view leading to the north it cannot be ruled out without further investigation. The storms we are experiencing today is directly related to Global Warming so they are different to some extent to their predictable paths. But the actual dynamics of these storms are reasonably the same, especially in their behavior when crossing the ocean then land then the Gulf.
Kindly note, Hurricane Andrew was a long time at sea, crossed the tip of Florida and then entered the Gulf of Mexico. The 'impact' of "Andrew" of Florida was devastating. At the time in 1992 when "Andrew" crossed Florida it was stated to be a Cat 4. Further examination of the wreckage clearly exhibited a Cat 5. What has never been said is that did "Andrew" actually and potentially could have gone to a Cat 6.
That said, there are two points I think these pictures make very clear.
1. I have stated the longer a storm is out at sea and the longer the travel in nautical miles the more powerful the storm is when it impacts on civilization. The illustration below of the path of Hurricane Andrew is a very clear example of a storm very long at sea, water loving and headed straight for the hotter waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
2. I have stated these storms are somewhat whimpy when crossing land. It is a common 'error' for climatologists to underestimate these storms in paths such as "Emily" has now where they cross over land masses frequently. When these storms do this they frequently look as though they are diminishing and people in the path of these stroms feel hope this is good news. Those that serve leadership in government are people too. All too frequently people delay their decision making announcements to the people they are supposed to protect to leave areas estimated to be in the path of these storms for this 'oscillation' reason alone. That should never effect any warning system to civilization in the path of these storms. These storms are dangerous and should never be seen as diminishing. The reason is why I stated Number 1. The longer they are at sea, the more nautical miles they cover, the stronger they get.
3. To understand the point I am making here we will number "Andrew" images 1 thru 4 with number 1 at the right and number 4 to the left of the picture. The composite of "Andrew" clearly show a storm that was questionably stronger while over the cooler waters of the Atlantic Ocean; to most viewing progress of these dynamics in picture number one. As "Andrew" traveled closer to Florida in picture number two it was very organized and very strong. In picture number three "Andrew" having crossed land, looks diminished however once reaching the Gulf of Mexico which has hotter waters than the Atlantic in picture number four "Andrew" again picks up strength and becomes more organized than in picture number two.
The point to this enter is that a history of looking at storms over decades clearly reveals these are not just hurricanes that will hopefully go away. They have heat budgets that are CONSTANT and although 'oscillation' exists both the path and vorticity can be estimated and counted on in a way that saves peoples lives without causing doubt.
It is my concern that these storms under the influence of a Global Warming will indeed follow estimates of the last decade of scientists and exceed Cat 5 into Cat 6, if not this year than in the near future with the storms starting early and increasing in velocity as the season goes on.
WE NEED TO BE SERIOUS and not wish these dangers away. That won't happen. I want people to be smart about their safety and put it first above all else and leave when told to leave an area without a second thought that the storm may fizzile away.
NO MORE TAKING CHANCES.
Americans.
You gotta convince them, ya know?
Thursday, July 14, 2005
My Morning Papers - continued . . .
Miami Herald
Man died on boat due to Dennis
BY JENNIFER BABSON
jbabson@herald.com
KEY WEST - Hurricane Dennis has claimed at least one life in the Florida Keys, a man discovered dead in his sunken sailboat after he tried to ride out the storm moored near a seawall in Stock Island, just north of Key West.
Divers from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office discovered the man, Ludolph ''Jerry'' Wilson Jr., 58, late Monday after neighbors called police to report they had not seen him since Dennis grazed the Keys last week.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12123170.htm
Transit hub chief reassigned in probe
A veteran Florida Department of Transportation engineer is on the verge of losing his job after twin inquiries into his management of the construction of a transportation center.
BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
llebowitz@herald.com
Miami Intermodel Center
A state official in charge of one of Miami's biggest transportation projects will be fired today if he refuses to resign amid conflict-of-interest allegations and a stinging report detailing widespread mismanagement of a contract that cost taxpayers more than $5 million, his supervisor said late Wednesday.
An ultimatum letter to Kouroche Mohandes, 44, project manager for the $1.4 billion Miami Intermodal Center at Miami International Airport, came after two investigations by the Florida Department of Transportation that said:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12127311.htm
Straight to the point
• IMAGES TO LIVE BY
Linda Solomon, a photojournalist, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Miami-Dade should be commended for their work to encourage underprivileged children to artistically express their goals and wishes. The program, in which 30 children were given disposable cameras to take pictures of what they wish for in life, should not only be continued, but expanded.
Providing children an outlet for creativity in artwork creates opportunities for them to be proud of something they have made. This added sense of pride can translate into higher self-esteem and success later in life.
Of course, capturing their wishes through a lens doesn't make them come true. But the pictures will give children a concrete image as a reference point when they stumble or feel as though their wishes are out of reach.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12127299.htm
Find missing persons
OUR OPINION: DNA PROGRAM SHOULD BE TEMPERED BY PRIVACY SAFEGUARDS
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is making an important first step in solving missing-persons cases by expanding the Missing Persons DNA database in Florida. While continuing to enlarge the database is necessary to identify the remains of missing persons, those donating DNA must be assured that their personal information will be used only for the designated purpose and not for other criminal investigations.
Time-consuming process
The expansion has been made possible by $8.7 million in grants designated by the Justice Department. The state database will be part of an already-established national database. It is good news for families anxiously awaiting the identification or return of missing loved ones. Since the process is time consuming, however, the possibility of closure for these families is still a long way away.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12127305.htm
New wrinkle in the anti-terror fight
OUR OPINION: LONDON BOMBINGS ALERT BRITAIN, U.S. TO ADJUST TACTICS
British police investigators are developing a disturbing theory about the people behind the transit attacks in London -- that the terrorists may be home-grown suicide bombers. If the clues prove true, it would be the first such attack in Britain. Worse, it could be a harbinger of the kind of insidious attacks preferred by terror merchants in Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and other Middle East trouble spots.
Sacrificing own lives
If Scotland Yard is correct, Britain, the United States and their allies will need to adjust their anti-terror campaigns to take into account this new wrinkle in the terror threat. The United States already has experienced the devastating effects of attackers so committed to their cause that they sacrifice their own lives. The 9/11 attacks were authored by 19 suicide attackers who commandeered airplanes to destroy the World Trade Center and other targets, including the Pentagon. But those well-coordinated attacks required the kind of planning, training and resources that are the signature of al Qaeda's network.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12127301.htm
The New Zealand Herald
Tsunami quake caused 1000km seafloor rupture
14.07.05 12.20pm
LONDON - The earthquake that triggered December's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami caused a 1000km rupture in the sea floor say scientists.
Using data from 60 Global Positioning System monitoring sites in southeast Asia, scientists at ENS/CNRS research institute in Paris calculated the unprecedented scale of the quake.
"We show that the rupture plane for this earthquake must have been at least 1000 kilometres long," said Christophe Vigny who headed the research team.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335790
British police in new terror raid, no arrests
14.07.05 9.40am
LONDON - Police hunting those behind last week's London bomb blasts today raided a residential address in the town of Aylesbury, about 64km northwest of the British capital.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Service, which is coordinating the hunt, denied a report by Sky News television that they had made a fresh arrest during in the raid.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335761
Bath full of explosives found at 'operational base'
A policeman walks past a bomb disposal robot outside a house in Leeds yesterday. Picture / Reuters
14.07.05
By Terry Kirby and Jason Bennetto
A bath filled with explosives was found at a house in Leeds that was the "operational base" for the London suicide bombers. The discovery of a such a large amount of high explosives has shocked detectives and has raised fears of further attacks.
The substantial quantity of high-grade explosives has reinforced suspicions the men were linked to a wider network, capable of obtaining such material, and anti-terrorist officers and the security services were seeking to establish the source - possibly of military origin.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335785
Profile of the London bombers: A fatal association
The South Leeds Fisheries fish and chip shop which is run by the father of Shehzad Tanweer. Picture / Reuters
14.07.05 1.00pm
Today, as London prepares to stage a two-minute silence in memory of the victims, the story of how the group of friends from Leeds abandoned their lives of anonymity to become Britain's most notorious terrorists is coming to light.
Four young British men of Pakistani origin travelled from Yorkshire to London and calmly carried out the first suicide attacks in Britain. In rucksacks they carried a deadly cargo - explosives which brought terror to London and claimed more than 50 lives.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335798
'Pakistan helped prevent attack on Britain before election'
14.07.05 1.00pm
By Justin Huggler
LAHORE - Pakistan helped to prevent a planned militant attack in Britain before May's general elections, the country's interior minister said yesterday.
Aftab Khan Sherpao made the claim at a press conference as he defended Pakistan's record on combating groups linked to al Qaeda.
Shahzad Tanweer, one of the suspected suicide bombers who struck in London, had visited Pakistan for two months last year.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335778
New body scanner could detect suicide bombers
14.07.05 1.00pm
By Michael Harrison
LONDON - A revolutionary new body scanner which could enable police and security forces to detect suicide bombers entering rail and subway stations has been developed by a British company.
The equipment, known as the millimetre wave camera, is already in production for a number of overseas security agencies and could be deployed in the UK if the threat to the travelling public increases.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335755
Migrants have a paler look
14.07.05
By Ruth Berry
The proportion of British immigrants coming to New Zealand continues to rise, and they now account for almost a third of new residents.
Of all approvals for permanent residence in the last financial year, 30.8 per cent - 15,045 people - came from Britain.
That is up from 20.9 per cent of all immigrants the previous year, when 8165 people were granted residency from Britain.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335735
THE LONDON INVESTIGATION IS MOVING RIGHT ALONG. I AM IMPRESSED.
At home in New Zealand, and loving it
14.07.05
By Errol Kiong
A British family who won a new life for themselves in Hawkes Bay say they are better off here than in England.
The Pearse family arrived in January last year after beating 2700 families in the Napier City Council's Win a Life competition.
For six months, Simon and Chrissie Pearse and their sons, Zac, 11, and Wes, 8, had a home and car supplied as they tried life in the southern hemisphere.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335734
Children blown up while getting sweets
A woman grieves at the funeral for one of the 27 victims of a suicide car bomb attack in Baghdad. Picture / Reuters
14.07.05 7.45am
By Patrick Cockburn
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber killed 27 and wounded 67 people, mostly children, when he blew himself up beside a US patrol in east Baghdad. The children were crowding around an American vehicle to receive lollies from soldiers when they were caught by the blast.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335747
ICC says tour can only be pulled if made illegal
14.07.05 10.20am
The New Zealand Government would have to make the Black Caps tour of Zimbabwe illegal for New Zealand Cricket to be freed from penalties.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today clarified its position on the tour after a statement it released yesterday raised the possibility of an alternative way of stopping the tour.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335767
Government will not make Zimbabwe tour illegal
Former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga, right, met Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff at Parliament today. Picture / Fotopress
14.07.05 1.00pm
The Government has said it will not legislate to make the Black Caps cricket tour of Zimbabwe illegal.
This morning, the International Cricket Council said New Zealand Cricket would face large financial penalties unless the Government acted to outlaw the tour.
However, the Government - which yesterday indicated it would issue a directive if that was enough to have the tour cancelled - has decided against making the tour illegal and it will go ahead.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335801
Auckland acts alone on timber ban
14.07.05
By Anne Gibson
Doubts have been raised over the long-term reliability of kiln-dried framing timber treated with a surface spray and known as T1.2.
The manufacturer says the timber is perfectly acceptable and calls Auckland City Council's move to reject consents specifying the framing as overkill.
According to National MP Nick Smith, as many as 10,000 homes have been framed with T1.2 wood.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335694
Muslims fear further acts of revenge as backlash
14.07.05
By Robert Verkaik
Muslim leaders are bracing themselves for more acts of "revenge" after revelations that the London bombings were suicide attacks carried out by British citizens.
Mosques were targeted in racist incidents over the weekend, including two fire-bombings of Islamic buildings in Leeds and Bradford.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335699
US report cites 'degrading' Guantanamo treatment
14.07.05 11.20am
WASHINGTON - US Guantanamo Bay interrogators degraded and abused a key prisoner but did not torture him when they told him he was gay, forced him to dance with another man and made him wear a bra and perform dog tricks, military investigators said on Wednesday.
The general who heads US Southern Command, responsible for the jail for foreign terrorism suspects at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, also said he declined to heed his investigators' recommendation to punish a former commander of the prison camp.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335768
Israel declares Gaza closed military zone
14.07.05 1.00pm
By Donald Macintyre
GAZA CITY - The Israeli government has declared Gaza a closed military zone partly to prevent pro-settler extremists from entering the main Jewish settlement block before the planned removal of 8500 Jewish settlers next month.
The move, which infuriated settlers' leaders, came as the Army also sealed Gaza and the West Bank to prevent Palestinians entering and leaving in response to the Islamic Jihad suicide bomb attack which killed four people in Netanya on Tuesday night. A Palestinian policeman was killed as Israeli troops moved into Tulkarem and made at least five arrests.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335751
Zoos
Zoos to host parks and wildlife meetings across Texas
AUSTIN Some zoos will be gathering spots for Texans to offer input on a proposed wildlife conservation plan.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's new plan is tied to (M) millions of federal dollars to conserve wildlife and habitat in the state.
The department must submit a final plan to the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service by October first in order to continue to receive funds from the State Wildlife Grants program.
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3590782
New Childrens Zoo to be place of learning, discovery
By Laura Casey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — A young boy in a green shirt wraps his fingers around the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance of the Oakland Zoos new Valley Childrens Zoo and presses his mouth into one of the holes.
I want to come in! he squeals to marketing assistant Michele Strider, who is sitting on the back of a gigantic concrete snake. She assures him he will be let into the Childrens Zoo soon — on Saturday, to be exact.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_2853589
New tapir on display at John Ball Zoo
Courtesy: John Ball Zoo
(Grand Rapids, July 13, 2005, 7:27 p.m.) There is a new animal at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids.
The zoo is introducing its new endangered, 400-pound Tapir named Sledge.
Tapirs have a short flexible trunk, almost like a hand in the middle of their face, to pull food into their mouths.
They are agile climbers and swimmers.
Sledge is not on exhibit full-time, but lucky guests might get a sneak peek at certain times in the South American exhibit.
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3591835&nav=0Rcec74U
Suzanne Vega, Marc Cohn Perform At Oregon Zoo
Portland, Oregon - Suzanne Vega and Marc Cohn will bring their highly literate and personally poignant music to the Oregon Zoo on Friday, July 22 as part of the Wells Fargo
http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=305860&cp=10997
Valley Children's Zoo offers new place for kids to go wild
Opening of Oakland facility to mark end of two-year project
By Laura Casey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — A young boy in a green shirt wraps his fingers around the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance of the Oakland Zoo's new Valley Children's Zoo and presses his mouth into one of the holes.
"I want to come in!" he squeals to marketing assistant Michele Strider, who is sitting on the back of a gigantic concrete snake. She assures him he will be let into the Children's Zoo soon — Saturday to be exact.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2855287
World's oldest captive panda dies at China zoo
13 Jul 2005 05:30:34 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, July 13 (Reuters) - Chinese animal lovers lined up at a southwestern zoo on Wednesday to pay their last respects to the world's oldest panda raised in captivity who has died at the grand old age of 36.
Visitors placed flowers next to Mei Mei at the zoo in the picturesque city of Guilin where she had lived for 20 years, Xinhua news agency said a day after announcing the birth of two pairs of rare panda twin cubs this month.
"The normal life span of the giant panda is 25 years, so Mei Mei was the equivalent of over 100 in human years," Xinhua said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK267793.htm
Second day of play is a zoo at Swope
By DAMON SMITH The Kansas City Star
While waiting to see whether she would survive the second-day cut Tuesday at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, Rachel Meikle figured she’d take advantage of her surroundings.
To clear her head, Meikle and her family checked out what the Kansas City Zoo had to offer.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/golf/12118247.htm
Audit clears zoo of negligence
file:home1
July 11, 2005
BY TARA BURGHART Associated Press
An outside audit of the Lincoln Park Zoo recommended several changes, but found no gross negligence on the part of the zoo staff in the deaths of a dozen animals since October.
The zoo released a 15-page report Monday by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits U.S. zoos. The zoo requested the audit because of the deaths that started with the death of the elephant Tatima in October, followed by the deaths of a camel, cow, marmoset, lion cub, two gorillas, three langur monkeys and the zoo's two remaining African elephants.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/zoo11.html
New exhibit at zoo lets visitors get up close to cougars
7/11/05
How would you like to go nose to nose with a cougar? The experience awaits you at the Seneca Park Zoo now that a new cougar exhibit is open. The exhibit, which houses two cougars from a zoo in Utah, includes a viewing tunnel where visitors can stand in a protected dome to watch the cougars up close. “So I encourage everyone to visit the zoo we're so proud of it. From our seven week old tigers to the visiting black bears to now the cougar exhibit, there's so much to see and now there's even more,” said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.
The cougar exhibit cost a quarter of a million dollars. The money was leftover from the animal hospital and education complex that was finished last year.
http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=15498
Panda-monium at National Zoo
July 11, 2005 - 8:56AM
CYBERSPACE (AP) - There's been pandemonium at the National Zoo -- because of what its giant pandas have been up to. For the first time in 16 years, the zoo is welcoming a cub.
The cub was born over the weekend and zoo officials are hoping it will do better than the five previous ones born since 1983. All died within days. The public can't see the pandas in person yet. But you can check them out online.
The zoo has a web cam trained on the mother and cub in their enclosure.
http://wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=17798&template=breakout_surfing.html
PANDA CAM AT THIS SITE
July 13: Cub Continues to Thrive
At five days of age, our panda cub continues to thrive and Mei is being a very attentive mother. She is licking the cub, holding it in the perfect position for nursing—close to her chest, and instantly responding to the cub’s loud squeals demanding attention.
While staff and volunteer watchers easily hear the cub’s squeals, seeing the tiny pink cub is another matter—they only get a glimpse when Mei changes position. On the day of its birth, the cub was squealing a lot—every time Mei moved. Now, it is squealing only very infrequently.
Mei is devoting all of her time to taking care of her cub and resting or sleeping. She has not moved out of her den or taken the time to eat or drink, and may not for up to a few weeks. This is perfectly normal behavior for a new giant panda mother.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/
A new place for kids to go wild
Oakland Zoo to open its children's park Saturday
Event will mark end of two-year project, finish of zoo renovations
By Laura Casey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — A young boy in a green shirt wraps his fingers around the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance of the Oakland Zoo's new Valley Children's Zoo and presses his mouth into one of the holes.
"I want to come in!" he squeals to marketing assistant Michele Strider, who is sitting on the back of a gigantic concrete snake. She assures him he will be let into the Children's Zoo soon — Saturday to be exact.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2851225
continued . . .
Man died on boat due to Dennis
BY JENNIFER BABSON
jbabson@herald.com
KEY WEST - Hurricane Dennis has claimed at least one life in the Florida Keys, a man discovered dead in his sunken sailboat after he tried to ride out the storm moored near a seawall in Stock Island, just north of Key West.
Divers from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office discovered the man, Ludolph ''Jerry'' Wilson Jr., 58, late Monday after neighbors called police to report they had not seen him since Dennis grazed the Keys last week.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12123170.htm
Transit hub chief reassigned in probe
A veteran Florida Department of Transportation engineer is on the verge of losing his job after twin inquiries into his management of the construction of a transportation center.
BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
llebowitz@herald.com
Miami Intermodel Center
A state official in charge of one of Miami's biggest transportation projects will be fired today if he refuses to resign amid conflict-of-interest allegations and a stinging report detailing widespread mismanagement of a contract that cost taxpayers more than $5 million, his supervisor said late Wednesday.
An ultimatum letter to Kouroche Mohandes, 44, project manager for the $1.4 billion Miami Intermodal Center at Miami International Airport, came after two investigations by the Florida Department of Transportation that said:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12127311.htm
Straight to the point
• IMAGES TO LIVE BY
Linda Solomon, a photojournalist, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Miami-Dade should be commended for their work to encourage underprivileged children to artistically express their goals and wishes. The program, in which 30 children were given disposable cameras to take pictures of what they wish for in life, should not only be continued, but expanded.
Providing children an outlet for creativity in artwork creates opportunities for them to be proud of something they have made. This added sense of pride can translate into higher self-esteem and success later in life.
Of course, capturing their wishes through a lens doesn't make them come true. But the pictures will give children a concrete image as a reference point when they stumble or feel as though their wishes are out of reach.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12127299.htm
Find missing persons
OUR OPINION: DNA PROGRAM SHOULD BE TEMPERED BY PRIVACY SAFEGUARDS
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is making an important first step in solving missing-persons cases by expanding the Missing Persons DNA database in Florida. While continuing to enlarge the database is necessary to identify the remains of missing persons, those donating DNA must be assured that their personal information will be used only for the designated purpose and not for other criminal investigations.
Time-consuming process
The expansion has been made possible by $8.7 million in grants designated by the Justice Department. The state database will be part of an already-established national database. It is good news for families anxiously awaiting the identification or return of missing loved ones. Since the process is time consuming, however, the possibility of closure for these families is still a long way away.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12127305.htm
New wrinkle in the anti-terror fight
OUR OPINION: LONDON BOMBINGS ALERT BRITAIN, U.S. TO ADJUST TACTICS
British police investigators are developing a disturbing theory about the people behind the transit attacks in London -- that the terrorists may be home-grown suicide bombers. If the clues prove true, it would be the first such attack in Britain. Worse, it could be a harbinger of the kind of insidious attacks preferred by terror merchants in Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and other Middle East trouble spots.
Sacrificing own lives
If Scotland Yard is correct, Britain, the United States and their allies will need to adjust their anti-terror campaigns to take into account this new wrinkle in the terror threat. The United States already has experienced the devastating effects of attackers so committed to their cause that they sacrifice their own lives. The 9/11 attacks were authored by 19 suicide attackers who commandeered airplanes to destroy the World Trade Center and other targets, including the Pentagon. But those well-coordinated attacks required the kind of planning, training and resources that are the signature of al Qaeda's network.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12127301.htm
The New Zealand Herald
Tsunami quake caused 1000km seafloor rupture
14.07.05 12.20pm
LONDON - The earthquake that triggered December's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami caused a 1000km rupture in the sea floor say scientists.
Using data from 60 Global Positioning System monitoring sites in southeast Asia, scientists at ENS/CNRS research institute in Paris calculated the unprecedented scale of the quake.
"We show that the rupture plane for this earthquake must have been at least 1000 kilometres long," said Christophe Vigny who headed the research team.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335790
British police in new terror raid, no arrests
14.07.05 9.40am
LONDON - Police hunting those behind last week's London bomb blasts today raided a residential address in the town of Aylesbury, about 64km northwest of the British capital.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Service, which is coordinating the hunt, denied a report by Sky News television that they had made a fresh arrest during in the raid.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335761
Bath full of explosives found at 'operational base'
A policeman walks past a bomb disposal robot outside a house in Leeds yesterday. Picture / Reuters
14.07.05
By Terry Kirby and Jason Bennetto
A bath filled with explosives was found at a house in Leeds that was the "operational base" for the London suicide bombers. The discovery of a such a large amount of high explosives has shocked detectives and has raised fears of further attacks.
The substantial quantity of high-grade explosives has reinforced suspicions the men were linked to a wider network, capable of obtaining such material, and anti-terrorist officers and the security services were seeking to establish the source - possibly of military origin.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335785
Profile of the London bombers: A fatal association
The South Leeds Fisheries fish and chip shop which is run by the father of Shehzad Tanweer. Picture / Reuters
14.07.05 1.00pm
Today, as London prepares to stage a two-minute silence in memory of the victims, the story of how the group of friends from Leeds abandoned their lives of anonymity to become Britain's most notorious terrorists is coming to light.
Four young British men of Pakistani origin travelled from Yorkshire to London and calmly carried out the first suicide attacks in Britain. In rucksacks they carried a deadly cargo - explosives which brought terror to London and claimed more than 50 lives.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335798
'Pakistan helped prevent attack on Britain before election'
14.07.05 1.00pm
By Justin Huggler
LAHORE - Pakistan helped to prevent a planned militant attack in Britain before May's general elections, the country's interior minister said yesterday.
Aftab Khan Sherpao made the claim at a press conference as he defended Pakistan's record on combating groups linked to al Qaeda.
Shahzad Tanweer, one of the suspected suicide bombers who struck in London, had visited Pakistan for two months last year.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335778
New body scanner could detect suicide bombers
14.07.05 1.00pm
By Michael Harrison
LONDON - A revolutionary new body scanner which could enable police and security forces to detect suicide bombers entering rail and subway stations has been developed by a British company.
The equipment, known as the millimetre wave camera, is already in production for a number of overseas security agencies and could be deployed in the UK if the threat to the travelling public increases.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335755
Migrants have a paler look
14.07.05
By Ruth Berry
The proportion of British immigrants coming to New Zealand continues to rise, and they now account for almost a third of new residents.
Of all approvals for permanent residence in the last financial year, 30.8 per cent - 15,045 people - came from Britain.
That is up from 20.9 per cent of all immigrants the previous year, when 8165 people were granted residency from Britain.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335735
THE LONDON INVESTIGATION IS MOVING RIGHT ALONG. I AM IMPRESSED.
At home in New Zealand, and loving it
14.07.05
By Errol Kiong
A British family who won a new life for themselves in Hawkes Bay say they are better off here than in England.
The Pearse family arrived in January last year after beating 2700 families in the Napier City Council's Win a Life competition.
For six months, Simon and Chrissie Pearse and their sons, Zac, 11, and Wes, 8, had a home and car supplied as they tried life in the southern hemisphere.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335734
Children blown up while getting sweets
A woman grieves at the funeral for one of the 27 victims of a suicide car bomb attack in Baghdad. Picture / Reuters
14.07.05 7.45am
By Patrick Cockburn
BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber killed 27 and wounded 67 people, mostly children, when he blew himself up beside a US patrol in east Baghdad. The children were crowding around an American vehicle to receive lollies from soldiers when they were caught by the blast.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335747
ICC says tour can only be pulled if made illegal
14.07.05 10.20am
The New Zealand Government would have to make the Black Caps tour of Zimbabwe illegal for New Zealand Cricket to be freed from penalties.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today clarified its position on the tour after a statement it released yesterday raised the possibility of an alternative way of stopping the tour.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335767
Government will not make Zimbabwe tour illegal
Former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga, right, met Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff at Parliament today. Picture / Fotopress
14.07.05 1.00pm
The Government has said it will not legislate to make the Black Caps cricket tour of Zimbabwe illegal.
This morning, the International Cricket Council said New Zealand Cricket would face large financial penalties unless the Government acted to outlaw the tour.
However, the Government - which yesterday indicated it would issue a directive if that was enough to have the tour cancelled - has decided against making the tour illegal and it will go ahead.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335801
Auckland acts alone on timber ban
14.07.05
By Anne Gibson
Doubts have been raised over the long-term reliability of kiln-dried framing timber treated with a surface spray and known as T1.2.
The manufacturer says the timber is perfectly acceptable and calls Auckland City Council's move to reject consents specifying the framing as overkill.
According to National MP Nick Smith, as many as 10,000 homes have been framed with T1.2 wood.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10335694
Muslims fear further acts of revenge as backlash
14.07.05
By Robert Verkaik
Muslim leaders are bracing themselves for more acts of "revenge" after revelations that the London bombings were suicide attacks carried out by British citizens.
Mosques were targeted in racist incidents over the weekend, including two fire-bombings of Islamic buildings in Leeds and Bradford.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335699
US report cites 'degrading' Guantanamo treatment
14.07.05 11.20am
WASHINGTON - US Guantanamo Bay interrogators degraded and abused a key prisoner but did not torture him when they told him he was gay, forced him to dance with another man and made him wear a bra and perform dog tricks, military investigators said on Wednesday.
The general who heads US Southern Command, responsible for the jail for foreign terrorism suspects at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, also said he declined to heed his investigators' recommendation to punish a former commander of the prison camp.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335768
Israel declares Gaza closed military zone
14.07.05 1.00pm
By Donald Macintyre
GAZA CITY - The Israeli government has declared Gaza a closed military zone partly to prevent pro-settler extremists from entering the main Jewish settlement block before the planned removal of 8500 Jewish settlers next month.
The move, which infuriated settlers' leaders, came as the Army also sealed Gaza and the West Bank to prevent Palestinians entering and leaving in response to the Islamic Jihad suicide bomb attack which killed four people in Netanya on Tuesday night. A Palestinian policeman was killed as Israeli troops moved into Tulkarem and made at least five arrests.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10335751
Zoos
Zoos to host parks and wildlife meetings across Texas
AUSTIN Some zoos will be gathering spots for Texans to offer input on a proposed wildlife conservation plan.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's new plan is tied to (M) millions of federal dollars to conserve wildlife and habitat in the state.
The department must submit a final plan to the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service by October first in order to continue to receive funds from the State Wildlife Grants program.
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3590782
New Childrens Zoo to be place of learning, discovery
By Laura Casey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — A young boy in a green shirt wraps his fingers around the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance of the Oakland Zoos new Valley Childrens Zoo and presses his mouth into one of the holes.
I want to come in! he squeals to marketing assistant Michele Strider, who is sitting on the back of a gigantic concrete snake. She assures him he will be let into the Childrens Zoo soon — on Saturday, to be exact.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_2853589
New tapir on display at John Ball Zoo
Courtesy: John Ball Zoo
(Grand Rapids, July 13, 2005, 7:27 p.m.) There is a new animal at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids.
The zoo is introducing its new endangered, 400-pound Tapir named Sledge.
Tapirs have a short flexible trunk, almost like a hand in the middle of their face, to pull food into their mouths.
They are agile climbers and swimmers.
Sledge is not on exhibit full-time, but lucky guests might get a sneak peek at certain times in the South American exhibit.
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3591835&nav=0Rcec74U
Suzanne Vega, Marc Cohn Perform At Oregon Zoo
Portland, Oregon - Suzanne Vega and Marc Cohn will bring their highly literate and personally poignant music to the Oregon Zoo on Friday, July 22 as part of the Wells Fargo
http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=305860&cp=10997
Valley Children's Zoo offers new place for kids to go wild
Opening of Oakland facility to mark end of two-year project
By Laura Casey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — A young boy in a green shirt wraps his fingers around the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance of the Oakland Zoo's new Valley Children's Zoo and presses his mouth into one of the holes.
"I want to come in!" he squeals to marketing assistant Michele Strider, who is sitting on the back of a gigantic concrete snake. She assures him he will be let into the Children's Zoo soon — Saturday to be exact.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2855287
World's oldest captive panda dies at China zoo
13 Jul 2005 05:30:34 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, July 13 (Reuters) - Chinese animal lovers lined up at a southwestern zoo on Wednesday to pay their last respects to the world's oldest panda raised in captivity who has died at the grand old age of 36.
Visitors placed flowers next to Mei Mei at the zoo in the picturesque city of Guilin where she had lived for 20 years, Xinhua news agency said a day after announcing the birth of two pairs of rare panda twin cubs this month.
"The normal life span of the giant panda is 25 years, so Mei Mei was the equivalent of over 100 in human years," Xinhua said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK267793.htm
Second day of play is a zoo at Swope
By DAMON SMITH The Kansas City Star
While waiting to see whether she would survive the second-day cut Tuesday at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, Rachel Meikle figured she’d take advantage of her surroundings.
To clear her head, Meikle and her family checked out what the Kansas City Zoo had to offer.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/golf/12118247.htm
Audit clears zoo of negligence
file:home1
July 11, 2005
BY TARA BURGHART Associated Press
An outside audit of the Lincoln Park Zoo recommended several changes, but found no gross negligence on the part of the zoo staff in the deaths of a dozen animals since October.
The zoo released a 15-page report Monday by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits U.S. zoos. The zoo requested the audit because of the deaths that started with the death of the elephant Tatima in October, followed by the deaths of a camel, cow, marmoset, lion cub, two gorillas, three langur monkeys and the zoo's two remaining African elephants.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/zoo11.html
New exhibit at zoo lets visitors get up close to cougars
7/11/05
How would you like to go nose to nose with a cougar? The experience awaits you at the Seneca Park Zoo now that a new cougar exhibit is open. The exhibit, which houses two cougars from a zoo in Utah, includes a viewing tunnel where visitors can stand in a protected dome to watch the cougars up close. “So I encourage everyone to visit the zoo we're so proud of it. From our seven week old tigers to the visiting black bears to now the cougar exhibit, there's so much to see and now there's even more,” said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.
The cougar exhibit cost a quarter of a million dollars. The money was leftover from the animal hospital and education complex that was finished last year.
http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=15498
Panda-monium at National Zoo
July 11, 2005 - 8:56AM
CYBERSPACE (AP) - There's been pandemonium at the National Zoo -- because of what its giant pandas have been up to. For the first time in 16 years, the zoo is welcoming a cub.
The cub was born over the weekend and zoo officials are hoping it will do better than the five previous ones born since 1983. All died within days. The public can't see the pandas in person yet. But you can check them out online.
The zoo has a web cam trained on the mother and cub in their enclosure.
http://wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=17798&template=breakout_surfing.html
PANDA CAM AT THIS SITE
July 13: Cub Continues to Thrive
At five days of age, our panda cub continues to thrive and Mei is being a very attentive mother. She is licking the cub, holding it in the perfect position for nursing—close to her chest, and instantly responding to the cub’s loud squeals demanding attention.
While staff and volunteer watchers easily hear the cub’s squeals, seeing the tiny pink cub is another matter—they only get a glimpse when Mei changes position. On the day of its birth, the cub was squealing a lot—every time Mei moved. Now, it is squealing only very infrequently.
Mei is devoting all of her time to taking care of her cub and resting or sleeping. She has not moved out of her den or taken the time to eat or drink, and may not for up to a few weeks. This is perfectly normal behavior for a new giant panda mother.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/
A new place for kids to go wild
Oakland Zoo to open its children's park Saturday
Event will mark end of two-year project, finish of zoo renovations
By Laura Casey, STAFF WRITER
OAKLAND — A young boy in a green shirt wraps his fingers around the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance of the Oakland Zoo's new Valley Children's Zoo and presses his mouth into one of the holes.
"I want to come in!" he squeals to marketing assistant Michele Strider, who is sitting on the back of a gigantic concrete snake. She assures him he will be let into the Children's Zoo soon — Saturday to be exact.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2851225
continued . . .
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